ELIGIBILITY
1. All films submitted must comply with these entry rules and regulations in order to be considered eligible for acceptance into the Hellbender Student Film Festival 2024.
2. Eligible films must have been completed after January 1st, 2020 except where otherwise noted.
3. Eligible films must have been created by at least one (1) undergraduate/graduate or high school student in a major contributing role (director, director of photography, editor, writer). There is no need for the submitter or crew members qualifying as student(s) to be actively enrolled at the time of entry. The acceptance of films with participating undergraduate/graduate or high school students who do not have a role listed explicitly above will be decided on a case to case basis and at the full discretion of the Hellbender Student Film Festival.
4. Submissions for the high school categories must include the name of the high school attended by at least one (1) active high school student. They must also include a scanned copy of the school/student ID. (Uploaded to the "Files & Attachments" section of the project page.)
4. Films with ongoing online distribution or availability (YouTube, Netflix, Hulu, etc.) are not eligible for awards.
5. Work in progress films will not be accepted. Anything that is submitted will be accepted and judged as though it is complete.
6. All entries must be in the English language or contain English subtitles.
SUBMISSION POLICIES AND SELECTION PROCESSES
1. All films must be submitted via FilmFreeway.
2. Submission of entry is considered legal permission to screen your film during the festival upon acceptance.
3. All submissions will be evaluated by at least two members of our screening team or one programmer.
5. All Filmmakers will be notified on or around October 30, 2024. This is subject to change, so we ask for your patience. Everyone will be notified in a timely fashion.
POLICIES UPON ACCEPTANCE
1. Accepted films will be notified via email at the submitter.
2. Filmmakers (or primary contact) will be required to submit a consent form ensuring an absence of any legal or rights issues, and indemnifying the Hellbender Student Film Festival of any liabilities that may arise out of screening with the festival.
3. Consent form contractually confirms the film for screening at the Hellbender Student Film Festival.
4. Upon acceptance, filmmakers (or primary contact) will provide the following by the dates specified by festival organizers:
○ Required: An exhibition version of the film in Quicktime with a resolution of at least 720p, encoded using H.264, H.265, or, preferably, ProRes.
6. The Hellbender Student Film Festival reserves the right to rescind acceptance of any film for any reason. Film presentations are scheduled at the discretion of the Hellbender Student Film Festival and are subject to change.
JUDGING
Films chosen for competition are judged by a select panel of jurors. Awards are left to the sole discretion of the judges, and a committee selected by the director of the Hellbender Student Film Festival will make any necessary rulings. Awards are announced at the end of the Hellbender Student Film Festival.
Should you have any questions regarding this process or your film’s eligibility, please email home@hellbenderfilmfestival.com.
